Column: French onion soup recipe worth the wait

By Cathey Noell

Published: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 04:54 PM.

The first time I had French onion soup was at the White Horse restaurant in Charlotte. Specializing in sub sandwiches mostly, the restaurant also offered an array of soups to serve alongside. I was intrigued by the richness of the soup, but even more so by the sweetness of the onions. With the cheese-laden bread toast melted on top that you had to break through to get to the soup, I knew I was hooked and had to learn how to make it at home.

And I did, but honestly it just never had that mellow, meaty flavor of the soup that I tasted for the first time. Through the years, I still ordered it at different restaurants, and again I would go home and try to recreate the recipe using a few different ingredients and techniques.

During last week’s big winter storm, I finally found the perfect recipe for French onion soup thanks to Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Although, I did tweak it a little, the technique of cooking the onions in the oven made all the difference in creating the sweetness of the onions. This method was time consuming, but well worth it. This is definitely a snow day recipe or one to be made on the weekend. And this soup is even better made in advance. You can caramelize the onions up to three days before finishing the soup off.

Cooking the onions in the oven may take some time, but it requires little attention. After one hour in the oven, the onions will begin to wilt and release their moisture. After two and a half hours in the oven, the onions will become golden, wilted and significantly reduced in volume. This is the time when you remove the Dutch oven from the oven and start deglazing on top of the stove. Loosening the flavorful dark brown crust, or fond, that forms on the bottom of the pot is what gives the soup its rich but smooth meaty taste.

The other technique used in this recipe is the way you will cut the onions. You want to cut the onions pole to pole in order to maintain their shape during the long cooking process. Halve the onion pole to pole, cut off root end of onion, then peel. Place the flat side of the onion on your work surface then slice from pole to pole into ¼-inch-thick slices. Yellow or Spanish onions are perfect for this recipe. Using a sweeter variety like the Vidalia or Walla Walla may make the soup too sweet. This recipe may seem difficult, but it is not. Give it a try, and I promise that you will not be disappointed.

For the soup: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray the inside of a heavy bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter in the pot and add in the onions and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, covered for 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return pot to oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1½ to 1¾ hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.

The first time I had French onion soup was at the White Horse restaurant in Charlotte. Specializing in sub sandwiches mostly, the restaurant also offered an array of soups to serve alongside. I was intrigued by the richness of the soup, but even more so by the sweetness of the onions. With the cheese-laden bread toast melted on top that you had to break through to get to the soup, I knew I was hooked and had to learn how to make it at home.

And I did, but honestly it just never had that mellow, meaty flavor of the soup that I tasted for the first time. Through the years, I still ordered it at different restaurants, and again I would go home and try to recreate the recipe using a few different ingredients and techniques.

During last week’s big winter storm, I finally found the perfect recipe for French onion soup thanks to Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Although, I did tweak it a little, the technique of cooking the onions in the oven made all the difference in creating the sweetness of the onions. This method was time consuming, but well worth it. This is definitely a snow day recipe or one to be made on the weekend. And this soup is even better made in advance. You can caramelize the onions up to three days before finishing the soup off.

Cooking the onions in the oven may take some time, but it requires little attention. After one hour in the oven, the onions will begin to wilt and release their moisture. After two and a half hours in the oven, the onions will become golden, wilted and significantly reduced in volume. This is the time when you remove the Dutch oven from the oven and start deglazing on top of the stove. Loosening the flavorful dark brown crust, or fond, that forms on the bottom of the pot is what gives the soup its rich but smooth meaty taste.

The other technique used in this recipe is the way you will cut the onions. You want to cut the onions pole to pole in order to maintain their shape during the long cooking process. Halve the onion pole to pole, cut off root end of onion, then peel. Place the flat side of the onion on your work surface then slice from pole to pole into ¼-inch-thick slices. Yellow or Spanish onions are perfect for this recipe. Using a sweeter variety like the Vidalia or Walla Walla may make the soup too sweet. This recipe may seem difficult, but it is not. Give it a try, and I promise that you will not be disappointed.

For the soup: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray the inside of a heavy bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter in the pot and add in the onions and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, covered for 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return pot to oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1½ to 1¾ hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.

Carefully remove pot from the oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle the pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and onions brown, about 15 to 20 minutes (reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly.) Continue to cook stirring frequently, until pot is coated with dark crust about 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.) Stir in ¼ cup water, scraping bottom of the pot until the water evaporates and another dark crust or fond has formed, about 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat the deglazing 2 to 3 more times until the onions turn a very dark brown. Stir in the sherry, stirring frequently, until sherry has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and beef broth, thyme, bay leaves and ½ teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of fond on the bottom and sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and sprigs of thyme if used. Season with salt and black pepper. Toast bread in a single layer in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. In oven-proof bowls, fill each bowl with ¾ of cup of soup, place toast on top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Set the bowls on a baking sheet and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.